zakuska

[ zuh-koos-kuh ]

noun

, Russian Cooking.

, plural za·kus·ki [z, uh, -, koos, -kee], za·kus·ka.

1. an hors d'oeuvre.

Word History and Origins

Origin of zakuska¹

1880–85; < Russian zakúska (usually in plural), derivative of zakusít ʾ to snack, have a bite, equivalent to za- v. prefix + -kusit ʾ, derivative of kusát ʾ to bite

Example Sentences

Perhaps the dish will turn out to be a version of the jellied carp your Jewish grandmother used to make or something like a Russian fish zakuska under an inch of hardened aspic.

From Los Angeles Times

The Russian word for an appetizer – zakuska – means “chaser,” because you are meant to consume it with vodka.

From Time

Gary toasts to the zakuska of the moment, a basket of pickles: “To the produce of the land, be it artisanal or locavore …”

From Slate

A zakuska is a sine qua non, with an exception allowed for very tough economic times, when it’s acceptable to chase the vodka with a sniff of your own overcoat.

From Slate

At the Kharkov station a leather-jacketed Soviet commissar bounced in, offered Manstein vodka and zakuska.

From Time Magazine Archive